Collapsible roof unit



Oct. 2,1945.

C. B. K. VAN NORMAN COLLAPSIBLE ROOF UNIT Filed April'l, 1944 2 Sheebs-Sheei 1 mm w mu MU l N V f /Y TOR Char/es Burwe/l Kerr/ks V0 A/ommn.

A TTORNE rs Oct. 2, 1945. c. .B. K.- \VIAQN NORMAN 2,336,077

COLLAPSIBLE ROOF UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1944 m v5! TOR C/mr/es Burwel/ Arn'ns Van Norma/z wm=me e g Patented Oct. 2, 1945 UNITED STATESPATENT ootLersiifii illoF NIT Charles Burwell :Kerrins Va n Norman,

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application Ai'pril 1, 1944, Serial No.-529,116

- In Canada March 31, 1943 3 Claims. ,tol. roe-4) This invention relates to a collapsible roof unit;

An object of the present invention is the provision of a complete roof unit which may be prefabricated and shipped in collapsed condition to the site for erection. 7

Another object is the provision of a roof unit which will collapse into a neat and compact bundle for shipment and storage. 7

Another object is the provision of a relatively large roof unit which may be erected in a very short time with a minimum of labour.

A further object is the provision of a large collapsible roof unit capable of being handled and erected by two men.

A still further object is the provision of a collapsible roof unit, including ceiling panels, which spans the full width of thebuilding.

Yet another object is the provision of a unit of the nature described which gives the walls of the building adequate support.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention consists essentially of a collapsible roof unit comprising a pair of roof panels hingedly connected together at their adjacent sides, said panels being adapted to lie at an angle to each other to form a peaked roof, a depending web hingedly mounted on each end ofeach panel, the ends of adjacent webs abutting when the panels are peaked, means for connecting the abutted ends of the webs, a ceiling panel hingedly mounted on the outer side of each roof panel normally extending inwardly toward the ceiling panel of the other roof panel, and means for rigidly connecting the adjacent ends of the ceiling panels, as more fully described and illustrated by way of example in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of the collapsible roof unit,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section through the unit,

Figure 3 is a plan view,

Figure 4 is a view of panels,

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 Ban enlarged section view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating how the unit is folded, and

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view through the webs of two adjoining units.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, In and I l are two roof panels hingedly connected the top of the ceiling together at their adjacentinner sides by hinges I2. These panels are relatively short in coni parison to their widths, the ends and" sides thr' of being indicated by the'numerals l3 and fire-g spectively, see Figure 3. Each panel may consist of a single piece of wood having a plurality of stiffeners l5 extendinglongitudinallythereof on its, under side, as showrnor" it may be con structed in any other suitablemanner. When in use, these roof panels lie at an angle tdeaen other to form a peaked roof, as shown in Figure 1. At the outer sides M of the panelsfsupports l6 depend downwardly and these supports 'are substantially vertical when the panels are in their peaked position. Ceiling panels l l andfltfsor a proximately the same :length as" 'the roof panels, are connected at their'outerjsides by,

hinges 2a to the inner surfaces of the supports:

l6. The ceiling panels extend inwardly in a. horizontal plane untilthey meet each otll'erlj These panels have longitudinal stifieners 21; transverse stiffeners 22, and end stifieners' 23 on" their upper surfaces. The end stifteners extend from side to side of'the panels and the inner ends of the stiffeners of one panel abut agfinstthe corres onding ends of the stifieners of theothfer' panel. Connecting 24 are securedito the end stiffeners'of one anel andovejrlap' the end stifi'eners of the other panel, saidlinksand stifl -f eners being removably secured together-in suitable manner, such as, by means'of bolts25; Each roof panel has a web 30 mounted thereon, by hinges 3i which normally projects downwardg 1y from each end thereof. These webs prefer; ably are wider at their inner ends than at their outer ends, so that actually they taper outwardly. .These webs have longitudinal stifl'eners 32 and 33 extending along their upper and lower edges, respectively, on both their inner and outer surfaces. When the roof panels are in their peaked position, the inner ends of the adjacent webs abut against each other, while the stifleners 33 of one web extend along each side of the other web and are removably secured thereto in any suitable manner, such as as by means of bolts 34. While the webs have been shown as single panels, it will be understood that they may be constructed in any other desired manner.

A plurality of hangers 35 are secured to and,

hangers are made in two sections which are connected together substantially midway between the ends thereof by pivots 31. A plurality of braces .38 are connected by hinges 40, see Figure 6, to the inner stiffener 33 of each web 30, and are pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the adjacent roof panel by means of pivots M which extend through said braces and stiffeners l5. These braces are of the type which consist of two parts pivotally connected by a pivot 42 so that the braces may break in the centre to permit the webs to be folded against the underside of the roof panel, and which lock in their extended positions in any well-known manner.

Figure 8 shows the position of the adjacent webs of two separate units which have been brought together. The outer stifieners 32 of each web are provided with corresponding tongues 43 and recesses 44, while the outer stiffeners 33 are also provided with corresponding tongues 45 and recesses 46.

Figure 1 shows a complete unit ready to be moved into position. The ceiling panels l8 are provided with longitudinal openings 4'! which are adapted to .receivethe side walls of a building. A plurality of these units are mounted on the walls end to end to provide a complete roof. When mounted in this manner the tongues 43 and 45 of the stifieners of one unit fit into the corresponding recesses 44 and 46 of the next unit. A suitable mastic may be inserted in the spaces between the roof panels of the adjacent units, and if desired, a cover 48 may be placed on this joint.

This. unit may be completely manufactured and assembled in the factory, with the exception that the bolts 25 and 34 are not put in place. The webs 30 may be folded against the inner surfaces of the roof panels l and H, the breaking of the braces 38 permitting this movement. As the webs are folded up, the upper sections of the hangers 35 move therewith and the lower sections, .pivoting about the pivots 31, move upwardly and draw the ceiling panels I! and I8 against the folded webs. Then the roof panels Ill and II are folded upwardly with their outer surfaces against each other to make a compact and complete bundle. Figure 7 diagrammatically illustrates the unit as it is being folded up.

When the unit is in use, the longitudinal stifieners 23, which are connected by bolts 25, prevent the outward movement of-the walls of the building, while the abutting ends of the webs 30 prevent the inward movement thereof. These webs brace the roof panels throughout their width, and they support the ceiling panels through the hangers 35. These units are very I light in comparison to their strength and size and large units may easily be handled by two men so that they may be erected in a very short time with a minimum of labor. This advantage is obtained by the fact that the units are completely prefabricated and it is only necessary to unfold them at job and to put the bolts 25 and 34 in their proper places. When in place these units provide not only a roof but a ceiling for the room below them, and yet each unit will collapse into a very small bundle so that it takes up a minimum of space during shipment and storage.

The size of these units are controlled by the requirements, and, of course, the size of the folded bundles will depend upon the unit. For example, a unit which is 25 feet 5 inches wide and 4 feet long when set up, will collapse into a neat rectangular bundle l3 feet 6 inches by 4 feet by 12 inches.

Various modifications may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the claims, and therefore the exact forms shown are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are disclosed in the prior art or are set forth in the accompanying claims.

Iclaim:

1. A collapsible roof unit comprising a pair of roof panels hingedly connected together at their adjacent sides, said panels being adapted to lie at an angle to each other to form a peaked roof, a depending web hingedly mounted on each end of each panel, the ends of adjacent webs abutting when the panels are peaked, means for connecting the abutted ends of the webs, a ceiling panel hingedly mounted on the outer side of each. roof panel normally extending inwardly toward the ceiling panel of the other roof panel, and means for rigidly connecting the adjacent ends of the ceiling panels.

2. A unit according to claim 1 in which a plurality of hangers are provided for supporting the ceiling panels throughout their width from the roof panels, each of said hangers being formed in two sections pivotally connected together at approximately the middle of the hanger, each hanger being connected to a web at its upper end and pivotally connected to a ceiling panel at its lower end.

3. A unit according to claim 1 in which a plurality of braces are provided for retaining the webs in vertical position in relation t6 the peaked panels, each of said braces being pivotally connected together at approximately the middle of the brace, each brace being pivotally connected to a roof panel at its upper end and to a web at its lower end.

CHARLES BURWELL KERRINS VAN NORMAN. 

